The American Experience | The Duel | People & Events | Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr's Duel People & Events Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr's Duel On July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey, to fight the final skirmish of a long-lived political and personal battle. When the duel was over, Hamilton would be mortally wounded, and Burr would be wanted for murder. Hamilton was a Federalist. Burr was a Republican. The men clashed repeatedly in the political arena. The first major skirmish was in 1791, when Burr successfully captured a United States Senate seat from Philip Schuyler, Hamilton's powerful father-in-law. Hamilton, then Treasury secretary, would have counted on Schuyler to support his policies. When Burr won the election, Hamilton fumed. In 1800 Burr obtained and had published "The Public Conduct and Character of John Adams, Esq., President of the United States.," a document highly critical of Adams, a Federalist. Hamilton, its author, had intended it for private circulation. Its publication proved highly embarrassing to Hamilton and helped widen rifts in the Federalist Party.

That same year, when Republicans Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson tied in balloting for the presidency, Hamilton lobbied Congress to decide the election in Jefferson's favor. Hamilton's campaign had little effect, but in the end, Jefferson emerged the winner. It was the New York governor's race of 1804, however, that pushed the two men to violence. In that election, Burr turned his back on the Republicans and ran as an independent. Burr believed that if he won, he would regain power. The prospect of Burr leading New York mortified Hamilton, who despised and mistrusted Burr completely. In early 1804, Hamilton tried to convince New York Federalists not to support Burr. Although Hamilton's campaign was probably not the deciding factor, the Burr campaign failed. Burr was crushed in the general election by Morgan Lewis, the Republican candidate, who was supported by George and DeWitt Clinton, powerful New York Republicans. The battle for New York had been a bruising one, but in the end, a relatively minor slight precipitated the Burr-Hamilton duel. In February, 1804, a New York Republican, Dr. Charles D.

Cooper, attended a dinner party at which Alexander Hamilton spoke forcefully and eloquently against Burr. Cooper later wrote a letter to Philip Schuyler in which he made reference to a particularly "despicable opinion" Hamilton expressed about Burr. The letter was published in a New York newspaper the "Albany Register." Hoping that a victory on the dueling ground could revive his flagging political career, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton wanted to avoid the duel, but politics left him no choice. If he admitted to Burr's charge, which was substantially true, he would lose his honor. If he refused to duel, the result would be the same. Either way, his political career would be over. After Hamilton's and Burr's seconds tried without success to settle the matter amicably, the two political enemies met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey on the morning of July 11. Each fired a shot from a .56 caliber dueling pistol. Burr was unscathed; Hamilton fell to the ground mortally wounded. He died the next day. Instead of reviving Burr's political career, the duel helped to end it. Burr was charged with two counts of murder.

After his term as vice president ended, he would never hold elective office again. And his next plot to gain power would end with charges of treason. Aaron Burr | vice president of United States | Britannica.com vice president of United States Written By: Alternative Title: Aaron Burr, Jr. Aaron Burr Vice president of United States born John Quincy Adams Aaron Burr, in full Aaron Burr, Jr. (born February 6, 1756, Newark , New Jersey [U.S.]—died September 14, 1836, Port Richmond , New York, U.S.), third vice president of the United States (1801–05), who killed his political rival, Alexander Hamilton , in a duel (1804), and whose turbulent political career ended with his arrest for treason in 1807. Aaron Burr, oil painting by John Vanderlyn, 1809; in the collection of the New-York Historical … Collection of The New-York Historical Society Early years and political career Burr, the son of Aaron Burr, Sr., and Esther Edwards, came from a prominent New Jersey family and was a grandson of the theologian Jonathan Edwards . He studied law and served on the staff of Gen.

George Washington during the American Revolution (1775–83) but was transferred after antagonizing him. In 1782 Burr was admitted to the New York state bar, and his law practice in New York City soon flourished. In 1784 and 1785 he was elected to the state assembly, and in 1789 he was appointed attorney general by Gov. George Clinton . By 1791 he had built a successful political coalition against Gen. Philip Schuyler , father-in-law of Alexander Hamilton (then secretary of the treasury), and won election to the United States Senate , incurring the enmity of Hamilton. Burr failed to win reelection in 1797 and spent the next two years in state politics. In 1800 Burr won the vice presidential nomination on the Jeffersonian Republican ticket. He carried New York state and thus helped bring about a national victory for his party. Under the electoral college procedures then prevailing, the electors had cast their votes for both Thomas Jefferson and Burr without indicating which should be president and which vice president. Both men had an equal number of electoral votes, and the Federalist-controlled House of Representatives had to break the tie.

Although Burr maintained that he would not challenge Jefferson—an assertion that Jefferson did not wholly accept—Hamilton’s determined opposition to Burr was a strong factor in Jefferson’s election after 36 ballots. (In 1804 the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted, requiring electors to cast separate ballots for president and vice president.) Results of the American presidential election, 1800… Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. In February 1804 Burr’s friends in the New York legislature nominated him for the governorship. Hamilton contributed to Burr’s defeat by disseminating letters containing derogatory comments about Burr, and shortly thereafter Gov. Clinton replaced him as the Republican vice presidential candidate. Once again Burr felt himself to be the political victim of Hamilton’s animosity , and he challenged him to a duel (July 11, 1804) at Weehawken , New Jersey, in which Hamilton was killed. Arrest and trial Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent Arrest warrants were issued for Burr, whom many now viewed as a murderer, and he fled to Philadelphia, where he contacted his friend Gen.

James Wilkinson , a United States Army officer secretly in the pay of Spain and the governor of the northern Louisiana territory. Expecting war to break out between the United States and Spain over boundary disputes, Wilkinson and Burr planned an invasion of Mexico in order to establish an independent government there. Possibly—the record is inconclusive—they also discussed a plan to foment a secessionist movement in the West and, joining it to Mexico, to found an empire on the Napoleonic model. In any event, Wilkinson became alarmed and betrayed Burr to President Jefferson. Trying to escape to Spanish territory, Burr was arrested and returned for trial to Richmond, Virginia, the site of the nearest federal court that could hear a trial for treason. Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall presided in his capacity as circuit judge for Virginia. (At that time, circuit courts had original jurisdiction to try treason cases; the Supreme Court has never had that power.) Marshall acquitted Burr on the ground that acts of treason against the United States by definition require the existence of a state of war (Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution ) .

Alexander Hamilton - American Revolution - HISTORY.com Google Born in the West Indies, Hamilton moved to the mainland in 1772 and entered King’s College (now Columbia University) the following year. By 1774 he was speaking at public meetings and writing revolutionary essays, and in 1776 he became a captain of artillery. After taking part in the Battle of Long Island and the retreat from New York City, he joined Washington’s staff in 1777, where he remained until February 1781. He commanded a battery of artillery at the Battle of Yorktown. Did You Know? Alexander Hamilton's beloved first-born son, Philip, was killed in a duel in 1801 while attempting to defend his father's honor against attacks by New York lawyer George Eacker. Philip's death devastated the Hamiltons, and many historians believe it led to Hamilton's own reluctance to fire directly at Aaron Burr during their legendary duel just three years later. In 1780 he married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of the major general and Hudson Valley landlord Philip Schuyler. He was already close to the Livingston family, and the marriage cemented his social position and his political, elitist point of view.

He argued throughout the 1780s for strengthening the national government in The Continentalist essays, the two Letters from Phocion, and The Federalist, written with James Madison and John Jay . He served in Congress and the New York state legislature and was a delegate to the Federal Convention of 1787. Although he had been central to the movement that led to the convention, his role was relatively minor and he was privately critical of the Constitution it produced. He nonetheless devoted his full energy to ratification in 1787 and 1788. As secretary of the treasury Hamilton’s great achievement was funding the federal debt at face value, which rectified and nationalized the financial chaos inherited from the Revolution. But he accomplished still more. He was responsible for creating the First Bank of the United States on the model of the Bank of England, and his Report on Manufactures fostered commercial and industrial development in the new nation. He also played a significant role in generating the Washington administration’s policy of unfriendly neutrality toward the French Revolution and in establishing a rapprochement with Britain. Hamilton’s policies and actions provoked intense opposition, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Just as Hamilton and Madison had collaborated in the Federalist movement during the 1780s, so Jefferson and Madison now collaborated against Hamilton’s Federalist party in the 1790s. The result was division, both within the Washington administration and in the country as a whole. After Hamilton left the Treasury in 1795 to practice law, he continued to be active in Federalist politics, but he was deeply critical of the presidency of John Adams . Nonetheless, at Washington’s insistence, he was made inspector general of the army during the Quasi War with France in 1798. Despite his personal and political dislike of Jefferson, Hamilton was instrumental in securing his victory over Aaron Burr in the presidential election of 1800. That and his subsequent opposition to Burr’s bid to become governor of New York led to his death at Burr’s hands in a duel in 1804. Broadus Mitchell, Alexander Hamilton, 2 vols. (1957, 1972); Clinton Rossiter, Alexander Hamilton and the Constitution (1964). Edward Countryman The Reader’s Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors.

Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault . Start your free trial today. Tags Aaron Burr - U.S. Vice President, U.S. Representative, Lawyer - Biography.com quotes “Law is whatever is boldly asserted and plausibly maintained.” “I was only 30 years too soon. What was treason in me 30 years ago is patriotism today.” Aaron Burr Synopsis Born on February 6, 1756, in Newark, New Jersey, Aaron Burr was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1791. In 1800, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. presidency, and became vice president instead. During a duel in 1804, Burr killed Alexander Hamilton. In 1807, he was charged with conspiracy, which ruined his political career. In 1812, he rebuilt his law practice. Burr died on September 14, 1836, on Staten Island, New York.

Early Life Aaron Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756, to a long line of English gentry who had been active in politics. Burr's father was a Presbyterian minister and the president of the College of New Jersey. After the loss of both of his parents, Burr and his sister went to live with their wealthy maternal uncle. In 1769, at the age of 13, Burr enrolled at the College of New Jersey, graduating summa cum laude in only three years. Military and Law After graduating from the College of New Jersey, Burr began attending Litchfield Law School in Connecticut. His studies were soon put on hold, however, with the start of the Revolutionary War. As a revolutionary soldier, Burr joined Benedict Arnold's men in their expedition to Quebec. By the spring of 1776, Burr had achieved the rank of major, and was appointed to serve under George Washington at his home in New York. He eventually transferred to the staff of General Israel Putnam, under whom he fulfilled an array of posts until he retired from his commission in 1779. The following year, Burr returned to studying law.

In 1782, he became a licensed attorney and was admitted to the bar. After opening a successful private practice in Albany, New York, Burr moved to New York City, where he would spend the next six years practicing law. In 1789, he was appointed attorney general of New York. Personal Life Just after passing the bar, Burr married a widow named Theodosia Prevost. In 1783, Theodosia gave birth to the couple's only child, a daughter who was named after her mother. Burr and the elder Theodosia would remain happily married until her death in 1794. Later, in 1812, Burr would experience the tragic loss of his daughter, who was killed in a shipwreck. Burr would not remarry until he was 77 years old. Political Career In 1791, Burr beat General Philip Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law, for a seat in the U.S. Senate. This marked the onset of an ongoing rivalry between Burr and Hamilton. After six years in the Senate, Burr lost re-election to Schuyler.

Bitter about the loss, Burr blamed Hamilton for ruining his reputation and turning voters against him. In 1800, Burr ran for the U.S. presidency with Thomas Jefferson. Because they each received the same amount of electoral votes, members of the House of Representatives were left to determine the winner. When the House met to discuss the election, Burr's rival, Hamilton, vocalized his support for Jefferson and his disapproval of Burr. In the end, Jefferson secured the presidency and Burr became vice president. Burr was incensed, believing that Hamilton had manipulated the vote in Jefferson's favor. Duel With Alexander Hamilton Nearing the end of his term as vice president, Burr ran for the governorship of New York, but lost. Again, he blamed Hamilton for besmirching him as a candidate, and, eager to defend his honor, challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton accepted, and the face-off took place on the morning of July 11, 1804; it ended when Burr shot Hamilton to death. The public was outraged. Burr fled New York and New Jersey but eventually returned to Washington, DC where he completed his term safe from prosecution. The indictments in the case never reached trial.

Conspiracy In 1807, Burr was brought to trial on charges of conspiracy and high misdemeanor, for leading a military charge against Spanish territory and for trying to separate territories from the United States. Chief Justice John Marshall acquitted Burr on the treason charge and eventually revoked his misdemeanor indictment, but the conspiracy scandal left Burr's political career in ruins. Final Years Burr spent the four years following his trial traveling throughout Europe, attempting unsuccessfully to garner support for revolutionizing Mexico and freeing the Spanish colonies. Admitting defeat, in 1812, Burr returned to the United States. Utterly broke, he attempted to rebuild his law practice in New York with moderate success. By 1830, he had grown dependent on his friends' financial support. Three years later, Burr married a wealthy widow, Eliza Jumel, but the marriage didn't last. Following the divorce, Burr suffered multiple strokes that left him partially paralyzed. He died under the care of his cousin on September 14, 1836, in the city of Port Richmond on Staten Island, New York. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

Citation Information 1000+ images about Aaron Burr on Pinterest | Aaron burr, Alexander hamilton and Thomas jefferson Forward AARON BURR, the nation's third vice president had his strengths: he has been hailed as "one of the best presiding officers the Senate has ever seen." Unfortunately, his political gifts were dwarfed by his role in two of the biggest scandals ever to strike the office. In an 1804 duel in Weehawken, N.J., Burr shot and killed former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father and Federalist Papers author held in sufficiently high regard that his . . . . ~ TIME See More Aaron Burr Biography (Political Figure/U.S. Vice President) Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey Best known as: The Vice President who killed Alexander Hamilton After fighting in the war for American independence, Aaron Burr took up law and politics in New York. He stood for the presidency in 1800, but lost to Thomas Jefferson when the election was decided by the House of Representatives. The way things worked in those days, Burr served as Jefferson's vice president. In 1804 Burr challenged longtime political rival Alexander Hamilton to a duel and fatally shot him.

After his term he ventured west and tried to establish a new republic, and was indicted for treason in 1807. He was acquitted, roamed around Europe for a few years, then returned to New York to practice law. Extra credit: Burr’s maternal grandfather was New England theologian Jonathan Edwards. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. Vice Presidents | Britannica.com Vice Presidents officer next in rank to the president of the United States, who ascends to the presidency on the event of the president’s death, disability, resignation, or removal. Displaying Featured Vice Presidents Articles Theodore Roosevelt the 26th president of the United States (1901–09) and a writer, naturalist, and soldier. He expanded the powers of the presidency and of the federal government in support of the public interest in conflicts between big business and labour and steered the nation toward an active role in world politics, particularly in Europe and Asia. He won the Nobel... George H.W.

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After playing semiprofessional baseball and dropping out of... Hannibal Hamlin 15th vice president of the United States (1861–65) in the Republican administration of President Abraham Lincoln. Hamlin was the son of Cyrus Hamlin, a physician, sheriff, and farmer, and Anna Livermore. After practicing law, he entered politics as an antislavery Jacksonian Democrat and served in the Maine state legislature (1836–40). He was elected... Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton Aaron Burr Political Genius Remembered for Shooting Hamilton Was Nearly President Aaron Burr, who nearly won the deadlocked election of 1800. Getty Images By Robert McNamara Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for a single violent act, the fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel in New Jersey on July 11, 1804. But Burr was also involved in a number of other controversial episodes, including one of the most disputed elections in American history and a peculiar expedition to the western territories that resulted in Burr being tried for treason. Burr is a puzzling figure in history. He has often been portrayed as a scoundrel, a political manipulator, and a notorious womanizer.

Yet during his long life Burr had many followers who considered him a brilliant thinker and a gifted politician. His considerable skills allowed him to prosper in a law practice, win a seat in the U.S. Senate, and nearly attain the presidency in a startling feat of deft political gamesmanship. After 200 years, Burr’s complicated life remains contradictory. Was he a villain, or simply a misunderstood victim of hardball politics? continue reading below our video Profile of Thomas Jefferson's Presidency Early Life of Aaron Burr Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His grandfather was Jonathan Edwards , a famous theologian of the colonial period, and his father was a minister. Young Aaron was precocious, and entered the College of New Jersey (present day Princeton University) at the age of 13. In the family tradition, Burr studied theology before becoming more interested in the study of law. Aaron Burr in the Revolutionary War When the American Revolution broke out, the young Burr obtained a letter of introduction to George Washington , and requested an officer's commission in the Continental Army. Washington turned him down, but Burr enlisted in the Army anyway, and served with some distinction in a military expedition to Quebec, Canada.

And Burr did later serve on Washington’s staff. Burr was charming and intelligent, but clashed with Washington’s more reserved style. In ill health, Burr resigned his commission as a colonel in 1779, before the end of the Revolutionary War. He then turned his full attention to the study of the law. Burr’s Personal Life As a young officer Burr began a romantic affair in 1777 with Theodosia Prevost, who was ten years older than Burr and also married to a British officer. When her husband died in 1781, Burr married Theodosia. In 1783 they had a daughter, also named Theodosia, to whom Burr was very devoted. Burr’s wife died in 1794. Accusations always swirled that he was involved with a number of other women during his marriage. Early Political Career Burr began his law practice in Albany, New York before moving to New York City to practice law in 1783. He prospered in the city, and established numerous connections that would prove useful in his political career. In the 1790s Burr advanced in New York politics.

During this period of tension between the ruling Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, Burr tended not to align himself too much with either side. He was thus able to present himself as something of a compromise candidate. In 1791, Burr had won a seat in the U.S. Senate by defeating Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker who happened to be the father in law of Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had already been adversaries, but Burr’s victory in that election caused Hamilton to hate him. As a senator, Burr generally opposed the programs of Hamilton, who was serving as secretary of the treasury. Burr’s Controversial Role in the Deadlocked Election of 1800 Burr was the running mate of Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800 . Jefferson’s opponent was the incumbent president, John Adams . When the electoral vote produced a deadlock, the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. In the prolonged balloting, Burr’s utilized his considerable political skills and nearly pulled off the feat of bypassing Jefferson and gathering enough votes to win the presidency for himself. Jefferson finally won after days of balloting.

And in accordance with the Constitution at the time, Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Jefferson thus had a vice president he didn’t trust, and he gave Burr virtually nothing to do in the job. Following the crisis, the Constitution was amended so the scenario of the 1800 election could not occur again. Burr was not nominated to run with Jefferson again in 1804. Aaron Burr and the Duel with Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been conducting a feud since Burr’s election to the Senate more than ten years earlier, but Hamilton’s attacks on Burr became more intense in early 1804. The bitterness reached its climax when Burr and Hamilton fought a duel . On the morning of July 11, 1804 the men rowed across the Hudson River from New York City to a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey. Accounts of the actual duel have always differed, but the result was that both men fired their pistols. Hamilton’s shot did not strike Burr. Burr's shot struck Hamilton in the torso, inflicting a fatal wound. Hamilton was brought back to New York City and died the next day. Aaron Burr was portrayed as a villain.

He fled and and actually went into hiding for a time, as he feared being charged with murder. Burr’s Expedition to the West The once-promising political career of Aaron Burr had been stalled while he served as vice president, and the duel with Hamilton effectively ended any chance he may have had for political redemption. In 1805 and 1806 Burr plotted with others to create an empire consisting of the Mississippi Valley, Mexico, and much of the American West. The bizarre plan had little chance for success, and Burr was charged with treason against the United States. At a trial in Richmond, Virginia, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall , Burr was acquitted. While a free man, his career was in ruins, and he moved to Europe for several years. Burr eventually returned to New York City and worked at a modest law practice. His beloved daughter Theodosia was lost in a shipwreck in 1813, which further depressed him. In financial ruin, he died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80, while living with a relative on Staten Island in New York City.

The American Experience | The Duel | People & Events | Alexander Hamilton People & Events Alexander Hamilton This Founding Father came to America alone at age 15. He fought at Washington's side in the Revolution, helped ensure the ratification of the Constitution, and saved the fledgling United States from financial ruin. He died in a tragic duel with his political rival, Aaron Burr. Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757, in Nevis, British West Indies. His father, James Hamilton, was a Scottish trader. His mother, a French woman named Rachel Fawcett Lavine, was married to another man, John Michael Lavine, at the time of Alexander's birth. She had been cast out of Mr. Lavine's home for adultery. When Alexander was still an infant, James Hamilton abandoned his family. They struggled to survive. Owing to his intelligence and willingness to work, Alexander Hamilton quickly rose above his station. At age 11, he went to work as a clerk in a countinghouse owned by a St. Croix businessman, Nicholas Cruger. Impressed with the boy, Cruger joined with a minister, the Reverend Hugh Knox, to send young Hamilton to study in America.

In the fall of 1773, at age 16, Hamilton entered King's College, which would later be renamed Columbia. In 1774, as the Colonies swept toward revolution, he left school to begin a career in politics. That year he wrote "A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress," which defended the First Continental Congress' proposal to embargo trade with Great Britain. In 1776, after the Revolutionary War began, Hamilton received a captain's commission in the Continental Army. He raised an artillery company of his own and proved his bravery at the Battles of Long Island, White Plains, and Trenton. George Washington was among those who recognized Hamilton's leadership capabilities. In 1777 Hamilton accepted a position on Washington's staff. At the time of Hamilton's appointment, the Army was plagued by poor organization and a lack of financing. The prescient Hamilton, realizing that these problems would also plague the liberated colonies unless they were solved, began to search for solutions. Alexander Hamilton served admirably throughout the war. During this time he found love in the person of Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of a powerful New York landholder and military officer, Philip Schuyler.

Alexander and Elizabeth married in 1780. For the most part, their marriage was a happy one, but later it would suffer from Hamilton's infidelity. Following the war, Hamilton passed the New York bar and set up practice in New York City. Among his first clients were Loyalists, people who kept their allegiance to the King of England during the war. At the war's end, many New York rebels returned to find their homes and businesses occupied by Loyalists. Under the Trespass Act, these people could sue Loyalists for compensation for the use of and damage to their property. Hamilton's powerful defense of Loyalists helped establish principles of due process and ensure the Trespass Act's repeal. In 1787 delegates met in Philadelphia to repair the weak Articles of Confederation, which were failing to hold the union together. Hamilton, a New York delegate, believed that the solution to the problem involved creating a stronger central government and providing a steady revenue stream for this government. Although Hamilton had little influence on the writing of the Constitution, he was a driving force for its ratification.

Along with John Jay and James Madison, Hamilton wrote "The Federalist," a series of essays that defended the yet-to-be-approved Constitution. Hamilton composed more than two-thirds of the 85 essays, which were published in New York newspapers in 1787-88. Later in 1788, Hamilton attended the New York ratification convention. Using his considerable skill as an orator, he turned back an overwhelming Anti-Federalist tide to win ratification. Upon his election in 1789, George Washington chose Alexander Hamilton as the nation's first Treasury secretary. Hamilton crafted a monetary policy that undoubtedly saved the nation from ruin. Among the features of the Hamilton plan were the payment of federal war bonds, the assumption of state debts by the federal government, and the creation of a mechanism for collecting taxes. During his tenure as Treasury secretary, Hamilton clashed repeatedly with another cabinet member, Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton favored a powerful central government while Jefferson feared it; Hamilton favored closer relations with Britain, and Jefferson, with France. The men would both resign their Cabinet posts before the end of Washington's first term. They would remain lifelong political enemies. Hamilton might have risen to the presidency if not for a scandal in 1797.

A pamphlet published that year revealed Hamilton's affair with a woman named Maria Reynolds and linked him to a scheme by Reynolds' husband to illegally manipulate federal securities. To prove his innocence, Hamilton resorted to publishing love letters he had written to Maria Reynolds. This cleared Hamilton of financial impropriety, but badly damaged his reputation. The scandal did not stop George Washington from appointing Hamilton acting commander of the U.S. Army in 1798 when the country was on the brink of war with France. In 1800 Hamilton's old enemy, Aaron Burr, obtained and published a confidential document Hamilton had written that was highly critical of Federalist John Adams, then president. Publication of the article created a rift in the Federalist party, helping Republicans Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr to win the race for presidency. But since the two men tied in electoral votes, it was up to Congress to decide the outcome. Hamilton lobbied Congressional federalists to vote for Jefferson, to little effect. Still, Congress chose Jefferson as president. Burr assumed the vice presidency. In the New York gubernatorial race of 1804, Hamilton again clashed with Aaron Burr. Burr ran as an independent.

Hamilton feared that Burr would eclipse him in the Federalist leadership. He spoke out against the vice president, and New York Republicans George and DeWitt Clinton led a brutal media campaign against Burr. The Clintons, not Hamilton, were responsible for Burr's defeat. Still, after reading in a newspaper that Hamilton had expressed a "despicable opinion" about him during the campaign, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. They met on the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11, 1804. Both men fired their pistols; only Hamilton was hit. He died of his wounds the next day.

Question: Which American Vice-President killed his political rival, Alexander Hamilton. in a duel in 1804?
Answer: AARON BURR